What is film soup?
Film Soup is a creative and experimental technique that involves soaking film in various liquids to create unique and unconventional images. This is applicable to both color negative and black and white film.
Similar to an Alchemist, those who partake in film souping continuously defy norms and conventions for the better. They are curious about the world around them and test the limits of time and creativity – creating materials that are magical and worth remembering.
As it’s a technique that relies heavily on a trial-and-error approach, the results from a film soup may vary. Several factors are involved such as the acidity of liquids (and how they respond to each other once mixed together), temperature, film expiry date, and many others. Thus, you must be prepared for the unexpected when embarking on your own film soup journey. The only thing guaranteed is that you’re in for a memorable experience filled with lots of color and textures.
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Can you soup black and white film?
Yes, black and white film can be souped. As with color negative and slide film, Black and White films have layers that can be manipulated through the use of chemicals and various substances to produce weird and wonderful images.
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What are the best ingredients for film soup?
There are no strict rules when it comes to creating a film soup recipe. However, there are key liquid ingredients that most experienced film soup enthusiasts gravitate towards. Think of water, cola, juice, wine, beer, coffee, contact lens solution, vinegar, soy sauce, to name a few.
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Should you do film soup before or after shooting?
Film soup can be done either before and after shooting a roll of film. Allowing drying time for the film is necessary in both cases.
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Can you soup 110 film?
Yes, it is possible. Film soups can be done with all film formats, from instant photographs to 120. However, you would need to take a different approach and work with a 110 film specific developing reel.
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Can you soup 120 film?
Yes, 120 (Medium format) film can undergo film soup. All film formats – 35 mm, 110, 120, and instant film – can be souped. The best practice for souping 120 film would be to fully utilize the developing tank reel to ensure an evenly distributed film soup result.
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How long should I soup my film for?
The duration of your film soup is totally up to you. There are no set rules in place for how long you should soup your film for. It all depends on the kind of results you’d like to produce with your images. Feel free to experiment and explore!
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How to dry my film soup quickly?
Soak, Rinse, and Dry. These steps are instrumental to executing a successful film soup. Once your film has been rinsed, go to a completely dark space and use a hair dryer (set to moderate intensity) to dry out the film. You should be in total darkness while doing this so as to not run the risk of any light leaks in your image.
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Why does my photo lab refuse to develop my film soup?
Labs may be concerned with the possible malfunction and destruction of their equipment when dealing with film rolls that have been souped.
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Can I give my film soup to a lab?
Some labs will accept souped film, but this is not always the case. The chemical residue from your film soup could potentially damage lab equipment and other people’s film. For this reason you should always inform the lab of the film soup, and give details of the chemicals and elements used.